Trumpeter Keith Fiala has not-so-quietly
been solidifying his place as one of the more creative composers and highly talented
trumpeters in the music world. Coming off the charting success of his last Wayfarer
release - the moodily beautiful Dream of Me - the Texan has been touring
the world as a key member of Arturo Sandoval’s ensemble where he’s a featured
soloist and part of the killer horn line.
Fogging Up the Windows continues Fiala’s fine work. What’s most interesting and inviting about his efforts is the fact that, unlike some formulaic presentations of “Smooth Jazz,” (a description this writer finds nebulous and incongruent), Fiala’s compositions and arrangements defy that “norm” structurally and from an improvisational standpoint. He’s much more of a jazzer than some others on the scene. That’s no disrespect, but simply a listener’s observation.
On this upbeat track, the trumpeter states
the key thematic motif in a Harmon mute – a presentation dating back to Miles
Davis extensive use in both his early “Prestige and Columbia recordings and up
until Davis’s covers of Michael Jackson’s Human Nature and Cindy
Lauper’s Time After Time. The brief theme is soon responded to by
Fiala’s resonant open horn. The duality here is arranging and production savvy.
The two entities alternate swirling over a driving programmed rhythm bed before
joining and ultimately launching Fiala’s solo forays. The ensuing interlude is
deceptive as one might think it is a synthesizer playing, swirling up into the
Heavens. In reality it is Fiala’s incredible altissimo trumpet register. More
exploding solo fireworks blast before a final four-note motif provides a
perfect musical bow on this present.
Fogging Up the Windows is an invigorating recording. It roars, displaying superior
compositional and orchestration skill and gunslinging trumpet playing. Nick Mondello
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